


Baby Boy

by ChocolateCapCookie



Series: Cookie's Stocking Fills [20]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, New Family, One Shot, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers Feels, Superfamily, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:48:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29385126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateCapCookie/pseuds/ChocolateCapCookie
Summary: "I can’t believe I wasfriendswith a man that — who — you deserved so much better.” Steve clenched his fists, minding his proximity to Peter. “I wish I’d been around when you were younger.”“Well, I don’t,” said Tony bluntly, “If you were around, I doubt Howard would’ve come home at all.”
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Cookie's Stocking Fills [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2161581
Comments: 12
Kudos: 82
Collections: POTS (18+) Stony Stocking 2020





	Baby Boy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RoseRose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseRose/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [RoseRose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseRose/pseuds/RoseRose) in the [stony_stocking_2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/stony_stocking_2020) collection. 



“He’s so _beautiful_ ,” Steve cooed, poking at Peter’s tiny nose. “Hey, baby boy. It’s me! Your new daddy!”

“I thought _I_ was gonna be daddy,” Tony griped, shifting ever so slightly so he could support Peter’s head. “You’re his papa.”

“He can choose what he wants when he’s older,” said Steve, barely even listening to Tony’s words. “Tony, look! He smiled at me.” Tony looked, and then wrinkled his nose.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

Steve ignored him. “D’you think I can carry him now?” He made himself comfortable in the soft armchair, grabbing hold of the baby carefully as Tony passed the bundle of blankets to him. “He’s so _soft._ ”

“Most babies do tend to be soft,” said Tony dryly, but even he couldn’t help smiling as Peter waved a vague hand out of his blanket. He’d just been fed and he was happy and alert, looking up at his new fathers with curious blue eyes. “I can’t believe anyone could give him up.”

Steve and Tony had been trying to adopt for a long time now, over a year. They’d finally been matched with a young pregnant teenager who didn’t want to keep the baby, but also didn’t want to give it up to the system. He was now one week old, and Steve and Tony were finally meeting their son today. Steve wondered vaguely where the mother was, and if he should offer to meet or even thank her, but at that exact moment, Peter cooed in his arms and any and all higher thought was lost as the husbands collectively _awww-_ ed.

“Give him back here, I don’t think I held him for long enough.” Steve dutifully handed Peter back to Tony. A wave of happiness washed over him as he watched his boys, _his family_ , Peter cooing and Tony cradling him in his arms, smiling like this was the best day of his life. 

Fatherhood really was a good look on Tony.

“It’s scary how much I love him already,” Tony commented, gently pushing a stand of Peter’s jet—black hair away from his face. “I dunno how parents can feel like this every day. It’s… overwhelming.”

“Ma would’ve loved him,” Steve sighed. “She probably loved me a little too much, too, but she’d be proud that I grew up well enough to have a son. “ He leaned over the seat to press a kiss to Tony’s cheek. “She’d have loved you too, Tony.”

“Well I can say with _full_ confidence that my dear old dad would have loved you,” said Tony, rolling his eyes. “Actually, there’s no ‘would have’' in that sentence; he loved you. You were practically the son he never had.”

Steve frowned. “The son he never— what about you? You’re his son. I’ve heard about how much of a genius you were as a child, I mean, a circuit board at age four? That’s brilliant, Tony. Howard must have been so proud.” Tony laughed, but there was no humor in it; it was cold and a touch hysterical.

“Love? Me?” Tony’s voice was a little strangled. “He barely even saw me. I doubt he ever changed a diaper or fed me or even carried me more times than he could count on one hand. He was always so absorbed in his _work,_ his son was only like… the seventieth most important thing on his list.” Tony hugged Peter’s small body to his own almost subconsciously.

“He spent his whole life looking for you, Steve. You were the one thing he got right. He was obsessed. He never loved me because I was never as perfect as his pal, Captain America.” Tony laughed again, sadder this time. “You know how most parents use the boogeyman or whatever to scare their kids into eating their veggies and cleaning their rooms? Howard — whenever he remembered I existed, anyway — always made it a point to remind me that Captain America was his best friend, and he’d be so disappointed if he saw how Tony had turned out.”

“Tony…”

Steve was shocked, and utterly speechless. Tony had never spoken about his childhood much, and Steve had assumed growing up famous and a child prodigy wasn’t exactly the easiest of childhoods, so he’d never asked about it, out of respect for Tony’s privacy. “Howard… he never…?”

“Oh, no, he never laid a finger on me,” Tony assured him, “but that’s probably only because that would’ve required him to actually pay any attention to me. He just…” Tony sighed, fiddling with a corner of Peter’s blanket. “He never once told me he loved me, you know? I never once heard a “good job” or an “I’m proud of you” ever leave his mouth in relation to me. I grew up wondering why all the other kids had dads who played catch with them and bought them ice cream, and mine treated me as if I was part of the wallpaper.”

“Tony, that is horrible,” said Steve, bluntly. He felt the beginnings of a familiar heat stir in his stomach, the same heat that had gotten him into so much trouble as a little shrimp in the streets of Brooklyn. “Howard… I always thought he was a nice guy. I didn’t realize—”

“Well, it’s all in the past,” said Tony, waving an airy hand in Steve’s direction. He rocked Peter back and forth a bit, which Steve could tell was his way of hiding his emotions. “He’s been dead a long time, Steve. I try not to think about him.”

“He was always a bit arrogant, a bit of a show-off, but everyone let it go because he was so brilliant and amusing,” Steve growled. “If only I’d known… Maybe I’d have pushed _him_ out of the plane and flown Peggy back myself.”

“Steve, honey, it’s sweet that you’re so worked up about this but —”

“No Tony!” said Steve, so loudly that Peter started to fuss in Tony’s arms. “I can’t believe I was _friends_ with a man that — who — you deserved so much better.” Steve clenched his fists, minding his proximity to Peter. “I wish I’d been around when you were younger.”

“Well, I don’t,” said Tony bluntly, “If you were around, I doubt Howard would’ve come home at all.” Tony stood up and walked slowly around the room, rocking Peter, whose eyes were now half shut, in his arms. “Steve, honey, listen to me. I love how worked up you’re getting over this, but it’s done, okay? You can’t go back in time and fix anything, and frankly, I wouldn’t want you to. I’m happy where we are now.” Tony smiled down at Peter, and the sight of that, more than anything, helped Steve calm his nerves once more.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, trying not to wake Peter up. “But you really did deserve better, Tony. Howard didn’t know what an amazing son he had.”

“I do deserve better,” Tony agreed, humming quietly as he placed a finally-asleep Peter back inside his small cot. Once he’d made sure Peter hadn’t woken up, he crossed the room and kissed Steve, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist. “And I got it, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was one of my favourite prompts to write omg, and I hope you don’t mind that I combined it with Tony and the baby XD i just love the idea of our bold brash genius handling a baby. I hope you liked it, Rose, and happy Valentine’s day to you!


End file.
